Jonathon Wong - Angel

It is hard to miss Jonathon, decked in his signature long-sleeved blue shirt over a white tee and black corduroy pants, with his trusted foldable bicycle in his hands.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Occupation - In IT. Wide gamut of experiences, from micro-level (think "hacks") coding with Assembly/C/C++ to macro ERP systems. I'm a geek. No, I'm the "Angel" in the musical. I think I'm sprouting wings soon. A halo will worsen my already bad hair style, so I doubt God will even allow that.

Hobbies - Writing, learning languages, accents (Singlish is my favorite now, though I tend to expend a lot of energy and I think slower in Singlish). Engaging in life-threatening adventures.

I love having peace and quiet.

How did your role as the Angel come about?

Funny you ask. I'm a painfully shy person. When I joined the choir, I had hoped to receive lots of training to overcome my inhibitions (or just plain bad singing). After my audition for choir, I was told to come on a Sunday afternoon to "meet some evangelists". I didn't realize that was analogous to the phrase "audition for musical". Nah, no misgivings on my part. Kinda fun fighting to overcome my stage fright, though nowhere near "life-threatening" kind of exciting.

What is the most difficult moment you've encountered since the start of production?

My role itself! My song has a terribly wide range of pitch, from very high to very low. I need to train my lower registers more. I’m a small guy with a flimsy voice. Sing like a big man! I also need to act with much gravity, which happens to coincide with a very depressingly busy time in my life.


Which is the most memorable moment for you since the start of production?

Seeing the Joseph character scream his heart out at Mary. He really got it this time. Even brought a tear to my eye, as I felt his intense sense of being (supposedly) betrayed by Mary. I could imagine him running out to some field to cry his heart out, tear his hair out, scream his voice out. Poor guy. Great actor!

If you had the choice of playing the role of another character, who would it be and why?

King Herod. I always wanted to be a big man. The "Angel" is a bit too surreal to be, you know, "man".

How do you prepare yourself before you go on stage to perform?

Shake myself up. Loosen up. Pour myself into a different mold. Think myself into a new image, new shape. "I am Angel. I am from God. Hear me. Hear me!"

Share one quirky habit of yours.

Buy lunch first before finding a seat. I believe a seat will always present itself then. Trust God's Providence.